A barrier to experimental progress in this area has been the challenge of translating terrestrial quantum technology to the space environment, particularly in the context of the traditional “big-space” paradigm of satellite development and operations. This is characterized by large, long-term, high performance spacecraft with redundant systems following conservative design practice driven in part by the high cost of launch and satellite operations For example, Gravity Probe B cost USD750M and took over 50 years of development [1]}, whilst the Hubble Space Telescope cost USD4.7B to launch [2]} and 20 years of development though these represent extreme examples of large space missions.. A new paradigm has arisen, “Micro-Space” as embodied in the CubeSat standard [3]}, that upturns the satellite development process. This approach exploits contemporary developments in miniaturization of electronics and other satellite systems to allow the construction and operation of highly capable spacecraft massing in the kilogram range, so-called nanosats The zoology of satellite classes includes mediumsats (\(500-1000kg\) ) minisats (\(100-500kg\) ), microsats (\(10-100kg\) ), nanosats (\(1-10kg\) ), picosats (\(0.1-1kg\) ), and femtosats (\(<0.1kg\) ) as well as large sats (\(>1000kg\) ).. In contrast, a geostationary communication satellite is typically 1000 times greater in mass. As cost of development, launch, and operations scales with mass, nanosatellites offer access to space at a vastly reduced cost that is affordable by small companies and research groups [4]}. The CubeSat standard was itself originally designed with undergraduate engineering educational projects in mind. Since the establishment of the CubeSat standard in 2000, it has become a very popular class of satellite ranging from hobbyists [5]}, some countries first spacecraft [6]}, basic space science [7]}, to commercial services such as Earth imaging [8]} and asset tracking [9]}. The standardized nature of the CubeSat platform has attracted commercial support for components and subsystems. It is possible to order online all the parts needed to assemble a fully functional CubeSat including structures, power systems, communications, ADCS, control, as well as basic payloads such as imagers. CubeSats are being launched in great numbers with over 120 launched in 2015, and 118 in 2014, with the proportion of commercial, scientific, and governmental use now the majority [10]} showing the transition from a purely educational tool to a valid applications platform (Fig. REF ).
<FIGURE>